This sighting occurred in 1971-1972 from what I can figure out. I wish I would have written down the date, but when you're a child - you don't think to do something like that.

My brother and I were walking to the local convenience store to get some candy about 8:00 PM at night when we saw this odd, shimmering light in the sky across the Santa Clara Valley. It was stationary, the color of magnesium and kind of looked like a mild Fourth of July sparkler sitting there motionless in the sky. It was over the valley low enough that we could see the outline of the top of the mountain range up above and beyond it.

Well, we apparently weren't the only people witnessing this extraordinary aerial phenomena. A small private plane was coming across the sky toward the light to get a better look at it. As soon as the plane was a short distance away form it, the light turned itself off, dimmed itself into darkness. The private plane made a few tentative circles around where the object was and flew off. When it was a short distance away, the object came back on again, shining away in the exact same place.

If this wasn't enough, apparently this shimmering star like object had attracted the attention of the local Navy P3 Orion subchasing patrol. One of these large military planes came over to take a look - and the same thing happened again! The light went out, the big plane made a couple of large, lazy circles in the area where it had apparently observed the object, and then when it left - on came the light again, in the same place! The next thing that happened about ten minutes or so later, we weren't quite prepared for. We heard it before we saw it - the military had scrambled a jet from one of the nearby military bases. We heard it before we saw it as it came screaming across the sky. So did the object, and apparently was startled by it. The thing all of a sudden glowed much brighter than it had been ("Oh, no!" ;) and then quickly put it's shimmering light out again.

The jet stayed there for about 20 min. or so, going from wide to tighter and tighter circles, and even doing "figure 8's". But, apparently, it gave up the pursuit of the object and we saw the jet fly off - and guess what happened?? The shimmering light came back on again - but this time, it had moved a short distance in the sky to another spot not far from the original one! And , it continued to shine.

During this incredible experience, I had run the two blocks back home and had gotten binoculars. Through them , I had gotten a much better look at this mysterious object. It looked like a glowing pink disc or football shaped object, completely molten, with sparks coming off of it. It kind of reminded me of how an ember glows in the dark. I estimated it was about the size of a passenger car.

The whole incident lasted about two hours, because we were kids and had to go home to bed, and probably got a little bored because the object was just sitting there shimmering and not moving. We didn't watch it leave, it was still there when we gave up and went home.

I saw it in the exact same place again several nights later, shining away again, but didn't watch it again that night for very long. No planes seemed to be trying to molest it this time. And then, I never saw it again.

My brother and a neighbor lady witnessed this with me. There also had to be witnesses in the private plane, the P3 Orion subchaser plane from Moffett Field NAS, and the pilot of the jet fighter. I haven't seen anyone else report this sighting, so I thought I would.

P.S. Peter - please use this version - I corrected a few typos. Thanks!